STATESBORO — Georgia Southern University junior outfielder Chris Shehan was one of 10 players selected first team all-PING!Baseball. It is the first of what could be multiple national post-season honors for Shehan.
Members of all three PING!Baseball teams can be found at www.pingbaseball.com. Three other Southern Conference representatives were on the second and third teams.
Shehan, who was featured on the PING!Baseball Web site in March, led the way offensively for the Eagles. The Southern Conference’s ‘Player of the Year’ (sports media association) batted .438 — the fourth highest single-season average. The junior outfielder scored a GS record 84 runs and ranked among the season top 10 in seven categories in all. He became the fifth Eagle to be named SoCon player of the year.
Starting in all 58 games, Shehan tallied 84 runs scored (GS record), 77 RBI, 17 doubles, three triples, 22 home runs, .557 on-base percentage, 53 walks, 22-of-24 stolen bases and six outfield assists. A third team academic all-district pick, Shehan recorded a team-leading 33 multi-hit games and 23 multi-RBI games. He ended the year on a 15-game hitting streak and earned a spot on the SoCon all-tournament team.
Shehan, from Strasburg, Penn., was a finalist on three different National Player of the Year award watch lists — including one of 16 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Award. Twice named SoCon Player of the Week and the league’s top offensive player in March, he also earned national player of the week honors.
Last week he was selected in the 30th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Atlanta Braves and agreed to terms on a contract with the Braves on Wednesday.
Shehan will report to the Rookie Danville (Va.) Braves in the Appalachian League. Also on Wednesday, Shehan was named Pro-Line Athletic First Team All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Shehan is the first Eagle since Scott Henley in 2001 to earn All-America status and he was the only Southern Conference representative on the first team. Shehan joined senior Jeremy Beckham (17th round, Tampa Bay) and junior Blake Nation (22nd round, Seattle) in getting drafted.
In three years, Shehan posted the third-best career average at Georgia Southern, hitting at a .376 clip. He tied for ninth in career hits with 276 and was seventh in runs scored with 182.
He also finished with 48 doubles, 34 home runs, 414 total bases, 93 walks, 160 runs batted in and was 40-of-46 on stolen base attempts.
“They (Atlanta) made an attractive offer and it was hard to turn down. This is a great opportunity to start my professional career with a great organization,” said Shehan, whose older brother also played in the Braves organization.
Starting in all 58 games, Shehan tallied 84 runs scored (GS season record), 77 RBI (tied 9th), 17 doubles, three triples, 22 home runs (tied 8th), .557 on-base percentage, 53 walks (tied 8th), 22-of-24 stolen bases, 187 total bases (tied 6th) and six outfield assists.
During his freshman year he tied a single-game record with six hits (vs. Coppin State). Shehan also tied game records in walks (4 vs. Jacksonville in 2008) and doubles (3 vs. New Jersey Tech in 2007). He accounted for two of the team’s NCAA single-game record 14 home runs hit in a 26-8 win earlier this year against Columbia.
Shehan, who plans on finishing his degree in accounting, said there were many memorable moments as an Eagle.
“I was able to play with a great group of guys. I’ll miss my teammates. I became great friends with them and the relationships I built at Georgia Southern are unforgettable. We had a lot of great memories over those three years... some great wins, setting a NCAA record and school records. I will definitely miss Georgia Southern,” said Shehan.
